


Russian Roulette

by justactuallynike



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M, Pittsburgh Penguins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:27:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7363129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justactuallynike/pseuds/justactuallynike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quinn Eriksson liked taking risks but a one night stand with a certain hockey player leaves in her in a potentially risky situation. Will Quinn and Geno find their way to each other or will complications get in the way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once is by chance. Twice is by fate.

I wake up and I immediately know something’s off. My head is pounding and I’m naked underneath the covers. I roll over and see him sleeping and my heart stops. That’s not Bobby. No. There’s no way this is happening. The blanket is only covering his lower half, revealing his toned back. I tear my eyes away and quietly get out of the bed and get dressed. I walk out of the room and notice how huge his house is. I call a cab and sit outside on the doorstep.  
‘God Quinn what did you do?’ I think to myself. How could I have let this happen? I try to remember last night but everything’s fuzzy. The cab pulls up and I hop in. I don’t even know the guys name. I start to feel nauseous so I put my head in between my knees.

I’m putting my hair in a ponytail in the locker room when I hear someone behind me.

“You look rough,” I hear Dr. Matthew Chase say.

“I feel rough. I did something last night,” I tell him nervously.

“What?”

“I cheated on Bobby.” His eyes go wide and I stare at the ground.

“With who?” he asks incredulously.

“I don’t know. Some Russian,” I say quietly.

“Classy,” Matt snorts.

“What do I do?” I whine.

“Nothing. Pretend it never happened. It was a one-night stand, it didn’t mean anything.” I look at my watch and realize I’m late for rounds.

“I have to go,” I tell him before leaving the locker room.

I get home after a long day and find my roommate and best friend Audrina in front of the TV.

“The game’s on,” she notifies me as if I care. I start to make something to eat when I hear his voice. My eyes snap up and there he is on the TV being interviewed. I drop my fork on the floor and walk towards the television.

“It’s him,” I choke out.

“Evgeni Malkin?” she says confused.

“That’s who I slept with last night.”

“Wait hold up. You slept with Evgeni Malkin?” she says in disbelief.

“He’s a hockey player?”

“So that’s where you disappeared to last night? Oh my god Quinn I cannot believe you slept with a Penguin. This is unreal!” she exclaims.

“It was a mistake,” I tell her.

“Are you going to tell Bobby?”

“No.” She doesn’t say anything and I continue watching the Russian’s interview. Memories from the previous night come flooding back and I feel myself start blushing. I excuse myself and head to my room for the night. I was a terrible girlfriend and I didn’t see how I was going to get out of this. I go to bed that and fall into a very unsettled sleep.

“Wait so you’re telling me you slept with ‘The’ Evgeni Malkin,” Matt says the next day.

“Apparently,” I reply. I read over the patient chart of the patient I would be operating on.

“This is incredible. Can you get me tickets?”

“No. Now I have to go. I have a wrist I need to repair.” I walk away and walk into the patient’s room. My eyes scan the room and my heart stops when I meet his eyes. There sitting in the chair next to the bed was none other than Evgeni Malkin.


	2. Ignorance is bliss

I stand there stunned and I’m at a complete loss for words. I hear someone clear their throat and I snap back to reality. The four guys are all standing there expectantly.  
“Uh hi. I’m Dr. Eriksson. I’ll be preforming your surgery today. You must be Beau,” I say smiling at the blonde in the hospital gown.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” he replies.

“Hi I’m James,” the guy with red beard says smoothly. I shake his hand and look at the other two guys. “Oh and this is Sidney and Geno.” I shake Sidney’s and then turn to face Evgeni. He looks as shocked as I am but still holds out his hand. I shake it tentatively and my knees feel weak. I pull my hand away and focus my attention back to Beau.

“Okay so today we’re going to be repairing your scapholunate ligament.  
We’ll be doing it arthroscopically. The ligament will be repaired by sutures that are anchored to the bone. The surgery should only take a couple of hours. Do you have any questions?” I ask him.

“How long until he can play again?” Sidney asks.

“About four months,” I reply.

“Are you single?” James asks.

“I’m not. Sorry,” I apologize. I look at Evgeni and he looks surprised and I feel a wave of guilt hit me suddenly. “Anything else?”  
Beau shakes his so I turn to leave. I’m walking down the hall when I hear my name being called. I turn around and see Evgeni running to catch up to me.

“Evgeni hi,” I say awkwardly.

“Geno,” he says smiling.

“Geno.”

“Why you leave so early?” he asks.

“Look. I shouldn’t have slept with you that night. I was drunk and I have a boyfriend.”

“So I can’t see again?” he says sadly.

“I’m sorry but no. I should go prep for surgery. It was nice to officially meet you Geno,” I say smiling. He gives me a weak smile and I leave. I found myself feeling sad and I didn’t know why. I shake the thought from my mind and get scrubbed in. I get into the O.R. and I see Beau laying on the table and Matt standing over him.

“Dr. Chase I don’t remember asking for a cardio consult,” I say annoyed.

“Well Dr. Eriksson I thought I’d expand my horizons and assist you today,” he says, his smile reaching his eyes.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I have a Pittsburgh Penguin on my table would it?” I ask.

“What really? I had no idea.” I shake my head and crack my neck.

“Scalpel.”

Later that day I decide to check on Beau to see how he’s doing post-op.  
I walk in the room and all the boys are still there.

“Hey Beau, how are you feeling?” I ask.

“I feel good,” he says smiling and I can tell he’s still a little out of it.

“Well your surgery went perfect. I have no doubt about you playing even better than before in a few months.”

“That’s great Doc you’re the best.” I smile and write a few things in his chart.

“Do you like hockey?” James asks.

“Not particularly. My roommate is a huge fan though,” I reply.

“You should come to the game!” Beau says excitedly.

“Yeah we can leave tickets for you and your roommate,” Sidney adds.

“As a thank you for fixing me,” Beau says smiling.

“Sure. Sounds fun. When?”

“We play tomorrow night. You work?” Geno asks.

“I can get it off,” I reply smiling. I leave the guys alone and find Matt at the nurse’s station.

“So guess who just scored Penguins tickets?” I say smiling.

“No way. When we going?” he asks excitedly.

“Well me and Audrina are going tomorrow night. You’ll be stuck here doing a bypass surgery.”

“That’s not fair,” he whines.

“Sorry bud.” I head to the locker room excited to tell Audrina the news.

I get home and see Bobby’s motorcycle on the street. A feeling of dread washes over me and I slowly make my way upstairs. I open the door and find him waiting for me in the kitchen.

“Well well look who finally made it home,” he sneers.

“What are you doing here?” I ask tentatively.

“Well let’s see I haven’t seen or heard from you in a few days and I was starting to get worried.” He walks up to me and traps between the fridge and himself.

“Are you hiding something from me?” he says inches away from my face.

“No Bobby I’ve just been working,” I say uncomfortably. He stares into my eyes and I can tell he’s trying to read me. Eventually he backs up and leans against the wall across from me. He was wearing a leather jacket and combat boots. His curly brown was pulled back into a bun and his green eyes were piercing. I had been with Bobby for 3 years off and on. We were always fighting and we broke up a lot but we always found our way back to each other. I had always liked the bad boys and Bobby fit the description to a tee. I stare at the ground, not wanting to be the one to break the silence. He comes up to me and moves the hair out of face.  
“Hey you’re my girl. I just worry about you sometimes,” he says gently. I look up into his eyes and I melt. He kisses and I’m caught under his spell once again. He leaves to meet some friends and I walk into Audrina’s room. She’s reading some magazine with her headphones on. I take them off and lie beside her.

“Did you tell him?” she asks.

“No. It was a mistake and I don’t want to hurt him.” I reply.

“Why he deserves to be hurt.”

“Audrina…”

“No Quinn. He treats you like shit and I hate having to stand back and watch. I’m patiently waiting for the day when you break up with his sorry ass,” she says angrily.

“I don’t expect you to get it. He’s a different person when we’re alone.”

“I don’t get it. I never will get it but I put up with it because I love you.” I lay there thinking about what she said. I had no delusions about them ever being friends but was my relationship with him really such a burden on her? They were the two most important people in my life and I couldn’t lose either of them.

“I got Penguins tickets for tomorrow night,” I say, trying to diffuse the tension.

“How?” she asks.

“I operated on Beau Bennett’s wrist today and he gave me two as a thank-you,”

“That’s incredible! What’s with you and hockey players lately?”

“I don’t know but it was awkward because Geno was at the hospital with him.”

“What did he say?”  
“He wanted to see me again but I told him I have a boyfriend.”

“Quinn you could have Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact you literally have any guy you want but you choose Bobby,” she says disappointedly. I shake my head my head and get up.  
“I’m going to bed, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I get up and head to my room where Audrina's words echo through my head for the rest of the night.


	3. Suturing bananas

I stare at myself in the mirror and analyze my appearance. My long black hair was in waves. My blue eyes were rimmed with eyeliner and my eyelashes were heavily coated with mascara. I wore blue skinny jeans and a tight black long sleeve turtleneck shirt. I walk out of my room where I find Audrina putting on her heels.  
“You do realize we’re going out after?” she asks me.  
“Yes. This is what I’m wearing,” I say defensively. Audrina’s brown hair was in loose curls and her makeup was flawless. She was wearing white skinny jeans and a black tank top that showed her tanned stomach. I laced up my boots and we headed to Consol arena.

“These seats are incredible,” Audrina says shocked. We were right by the ice watching the guy’s warm-up. James skates up to us and nods at Audrina. She starts blushing and I roll my eyes. Sidney waves and I wave back and Geno skates up to us smiles.

“Good seats,” he says in a thick Russian accent.

“Yeah. Tell Beau thanks,” I reply. He smiles and starts his warm-up.

“Oh my god you’re like in with the Penguins. That’s so cool,” Audrina says excitedly. The game starts and Audrina starts explaining the rules to me. I catch on fairly quickly and start feeling the energy when they score. When Sidney scored I found myself clapping excitedly. During the second the Penguins go on the power play. Sidney passes the puck to Geno and Geno winds up and gets it past the goalie. I shoot up to my feet and start clapping. When I sit back down Audrina is giving me a look.

“What?” I ask suspiciously.

“Someone’s excited over a certain someone’s goal,” she says smirking.

“It’s just a hockey game Audrina,” I reply annoyed. I get a text from Beau.

Beau:  
Hope you’re liking the seats. Everyone’s going out tonight after the game. You guys should come

“You feel like going out tonight?” I ask her.

“Hell yeah!” she exclaims. Beau sends me the details and the Penguins win 3-0. We get to the club and Bobby’s already there with his buddies.

“Hey babe,” I say hugging him. He smells like alcohol and I can tell he’s drunk.

“There’s my fox. I was just telling the boys some stuff about you,” he says smirking.

“Like what?” I ask hesitantly.

“Like how you’re by far the best sex I’ve ever had. Maybe I should loan you out so they can have a taste.”

“That’s not funny,” I say irritated.

“Oh she’s getting feisty. That’s when I like her the best.”

“I’m getting a drink,” I say angrily. I heads towards the bar and start knocking back shots.

“Easy there champ,” Audrina says worriedly.

“God Bobby’s such an asshole.”

“Amen to that,” she says shaking her head. We see the guys at a table and I drag Audrina over to them.

“Dr. Eriksson you made it!” Beau says loudly.

“You can call me Quinn. And this is my friend Audrina,” I reply. A bunch of guys that I haven’t met yet just sit there and stare.

“So Quinn, do you like hockey yet” Sidney asks.

“You should have seen her. She was standing up and clapping during Geno’s goal,” Audrina says, ratting me out. I look at Geno and he looks pleasantly surprised. I sit there enjoying my drink when I see some blonde girl sitting on Bobby’s lap.

“Excuse me,” I say loudly. I get up past James and Sidney and make my way to Bobby.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I ask angrily. His whole group stops talking and turns to stare at me.

“I’ll be back,” Bobby says to the group. The girl gets off of him and he drags me through the club. I look at Geno and the guys and they are all watching me. We go outside and Bobby lights a cigarette. He stands there staring at me waiting for me to say something.

“You’re an asshole,” I say angrily. My emotions felt all over the place and I know that I drank too much.

“Why am I an asshole?” he asks calmly.

“Who the fuck was the chick in your lap?”

“Chill. Chelsea’s just a friend,” he says before taking a long drag.

“So you just let random broads sit on you when your girlfriend’s literally a few feet away?”

“Girlfriend? Oh you mean my girlfriend that was whoring herself out to all those hockey players?”

“I was just talking to them. It wasn’t like I was in one of their laps,” I spit coldly.

“You know what Quinn I’m tired of all these games. I can’t do it anymore. I’m done,” he says nonchalantly. I feel tears prick my eyes and my anger is subsiding.

“So that’s it?”

“I’m done.” He’s about to get on his motorcycle when I grab his arm.

“Please don’t do this. I’m sorry,” I plead. He yanks his arm away and puts his helmet on.

“Have a good one Quinn.” He starts his motorcycle and disappears down the street. I slide down the wall and start sobbing. I messed everything up and now I was alone. I sit there with my head in my knees for a while when I feel someone crouch in front of me.

“Is okay?” Geno asks.

“No,” I mutter.

“Come. I take home.”

“But Audrina.”

“She go with Lazy,” he tells me.

“Who?”

“James.” Of course of all the nights I need my best friend she’s off getting lucky. Geno helps me up and we walk in silence to his car. I tell him the directions to my apartment and we pull up front twenty minutes later.

“Do you want to come up stairs?” I ask awkwardly. He nods his head and turns off the car. We walk inside and I boil the kettle.

“Is nice,” he says while looking around. I don’t know why I invited him up. I guess I didn’t really feel like being alone. I made us some tea and we sat on the couch watching sport’s highlights.

“Do you miss Russia?” I ask him randomly. The silence was killing me and I was really curious about the hockey player sitting next to me.

“Da. Hockey worth it though. You from Pittsburgh?” he asks.

“No I’m from Colorado but Audrina got a job here so I followed her here,” I tell him.

“Miss parents?”

“My parents died in a car accident when I was younger.”

“I sorry,” he says sadly.

“It’s okay.” I ask him more about Russia and I like seeing his face light up when he talks about it. We talk for the rest of the night until I start to feel my eyelids get heavy. I listen to his deep voice and I’m transported to another world.

I hear a loud bang and I shoot up. I’m on the couch with a blanket draped over me so I look around and Geno is nowhere to be seen. I feel a pang of sadness at his absence but I’m temporarily distracted when Audrina sits next to me. She’s wearing the same clothes from last night and she’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Well look what the cat dragged in,” I say smiling.

“Hey,” she replies casually.

“Scale of 1-10.”

“11,” she says smiling.

“That good?” I ask astonished.

“It was amazing. Hey did Bobby drop you off last night?”

“No. We broke up.” She rolls her eyes and sighs.

“What happened?”

“He thought I was playing games because I was sitting with the Penguins and he said he was over it and left me crying outside the club alone.”

“He’s mad at you now but he’ll come crawling back like he always does and you’ll forgive him like you always do. So then how did you get home?”

“Geno drove me home. Then I invited him up and we talked,” I tell her.

“Wait he was here last night with you?” she asks excitedly. I nod and her smile grows wider.

“But he disappeared this morning.”

“They had practice,” she tells me and I suddenly feel better. I go into my room to have a quick power nap before I head back to work for the evening shift.

I grab my lunch and head to the hallway me and the other residents always sit it to have lunch. I find Matt and Dr. Elias Dixon practicing a new suture technique on bananas.

“You’re pulling too hard. You’d rip the tissue if that were a human,” I tell Elias.

“Okay well Dr. Perfect you do it,” he says tossing me the banana. I set to work carefully manoeuvring the thread in and out of the skin.

“Quinn how was the game?” Matt asks me.

“Good the Penguins got the shutout and won 3-0 against the Avalanche.”

“Wow you even know what a shutout is. I’m impressed,” Elias says smiling. I finish suturing and toss him the banana.

“Voila,” I say proudly.

“I bet you sit at home and practice,” he says peeved.

“How’s Bobby doing?” Matt asks me.

“We broke up,” I reply with food in my mouth.

“That sucks I’m sorry.” I shrug and continue eating.

“So you’re available. You want to go to an on-call room?” Elias asks suggestively.

“Never in a million years,” I laugh. I finish my shift and check my phone and see I have a missed text from Beau.

Beau:  
I think I have an infection. Will you come over and check it out?

Me:  
Sure. Be there soon

I put my coat on and head to the hockey player’s house.


	4. Don't say a word while we dance with the devil

I get to Beau’s house and half the team is there.  
“Quinn you made it!” Beau says excitedly.

“Yeah you said you had an infection?” I ask worriedly.

“I was just kidding. I knew you wouldn’t come otherwise.”

“That’s not cool!” I say, my voice raising.

“Sorry! But hey since you’re here, relax a bit.”

“When do you work again?” Sidney asks.

“In two hours,” I say looking at my watch.

“Geno says you’re from Colorado,” James says, tuning into the conversation.

“Yeah I grew up in Denver and went to med school there. When I graduated I came here for my internship.” I tell him.

“How did you know you wanted to be a surgeon?” Paul asks.

“When I was seven my friend broke his leg and the bone was sticking out. Everyone including the teacher was too grossed out to stay with him except for me. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. From that point on I was obsessed with bones and muscles.” I see some of the guys shudder and I can’t help but smile. I head to the bathroom but someone’s already using it. I wait until the door opens and Geno is standing there.

“Hey,” he says smiling.

“Hi. I didn’t hear you leave this morning,” I say coolly.

“Didn’t want to wake. Now we even,” he laughs.

“Thanks for last night. I really needed it,” I say shyly. All of a sudden he wraps his arms around me and I’m trapped in a big bear hug.

“You’re like a big Russian bear,” I mumble into his chest. He lets go and chuckles. He takes out his phone and opens the contacts.

“In case you need friend,” he says gently. I put my information in and  
he lets me past and I quickly use the bathroom. We’re in the middle of a movie when my pager goes off.  
“Well guys I gotta get back to work. Thanks for inviting me over,” I hug Beau and Geno goodbye and make my way back to the hospital.

I walk into the patient’s room and see the eight-year old boy wearing a Penguins jersey. He had broken his leg in two places playing hockey and had to get surgery. It was a big surgery to get for anyone let alone an eight-year old and he looked scared.

“Hi Ethan, I’m Dr. Eriksson, I’ll be fixing your leg today. I see you’re a Penguins fan. Who’s your favourite player?”

“Malkin,” he says quietly.

“Me too,” I smile. He plays with his jersey and I try to figure out the words to say to ease his mind.

“I know this seems scary buddy but the sooner we do this the sooner you get back on the ice and start scoring those goals. And who knows, maybe Dr. Eriksson can get her hockey friend to stop by and say hi,” I say smiling.

“Who’s your hockey friend?” he asks.

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” He smiles and I walk through the procedure with him and his parents. After I leave his room and I check my phone and I have a missed text.

Geno:  
Hi it’s Russian bear

Me:  
Hey I have a huge favour to ask

Geno:  
What’s favour

Me:  
I have a patient who’s your biggest fan. Do you think you could stop by and say hi?

Geno:  
Sure. I come after practice

Me:  
Thank you so much!!!

Geno:  
For you anything

I smile at his words and put my phone away I head to the O.R. where I prep for surgery.

“You made it!” I say excitedly. Geno hugs me and I start to really enjoy the feeling of being in his arms. I pull away and lead him to Ethan’s room.

“Ethan, my hockey friend is here,” I say smiling. Geno walks in and Ethan’s jaw hits the floor.

“You didn’t say your hockey friend was Malkin!” Ethan exclaims.

“Oops I guess I forgot to mention that,” I chuckle.

“Hi Ethan, how’s leg?” Geno asks.

“It’s okay. Kind of hurts.”

“What happened?”

“I went after the puck and slid into the boards,” Ethan explains.

“You tough. You forward?” Geno asks.

“Yeah. You’re my favourite player,” Ethan says shyly.

“Well thanks. I sign jersey?” I see Ethan’s eyes light up and Geno signs the jersey. They talk about hockey for a while before I tell Ethan it’s time for Geno to go.

“It was so cool meeting you,” Ethan says smiling.

“Nice to meet you. Don’t give up,” Geno says high-fiving him. We leave the room and Geno smiles down at me.

“What?” I ask self-consciously.

“That was nice thing you did.”

“Thanks so much for doing this. It means a lot,” I say gratefully.

“Of course. I should go though.” We say goodbye and I finish my shift.

When I get to the apartment I see Bobby leaning against his motorcycle. I know I should walk past him and go upstairs and shut the door but I wanted to know what he has to say.

“Hey,” he says coolly.

“Why are you here?” I ask stiffly.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry. I was pissed at you and I took it too far. I need you in my life Quinn,” he says quietly. I was still mad at him for how he was acting at the club but I was too tired to keep fighting.

“Okay,” I finally say. He walks up to me and plants a soft kiss on my lips.  
“I love you Quinn.” His words sounded empty. It was more of an automatic response rather than words depicting how he felt. We go upstairs and he falls asleep instantly. I lie there thinking about how Geno came through for me and how Bobby was apologizing for the hundredth time in our relationship. I deserved Bobby though. We made sense together but I couldn’t stop thoughts of the Russian from flooding my mind.

The next few weeks dragged on slowly. I was working overtime all the time and I rarely left the hospital. Beau had texted inviting me out a few times but I just didn’t have the time. I knew Bobby was mad at me for working so much but I couldn’t help it.

“You look tired,” Elias says at lunch one day.

“That’s because all I do is work,” I tell him.

“I haven’t been home in a week,” Matt says yawning. My pager goes off and I sigh.

“I’ll see you guys later.” I head to the E.R. where I was paged for a consult.

“What’s up Cohen?” I ask the E.R. physician.

“Broken arm. Bed 2,” he replies. I read the file and go over to the bed where a very nervous teenager is sitting.

“Hi Vince I’m Dr. Eriksson, I’ll be looking at your arm today,” I say warmly. He holds out his arm and it’s visibly deformed. “How did this happen?”

“I was playing basketball and I tripped,” he says quietly.

“Are you nervous? I don’t bite.”

“You’re really pretty,” he says shyly.

“Well thank-you.” I examine his arm and look at his x-rays.

“Well it’s a clean break. It looks like you won’t need surgery so I’ll take you upstairs and we’ll set your arm and then get it in a cast. Does that sound okay?” Vince nods and I wheel him upstairs for the procedure.

I get to the apartment and I’m exhausted. I walk up the stairs and open the door and find Bobby cryptically smiling. I look in his hand and he has my phone.

“You’re quite the popular person. Several guys have messaged you including a ‘Russian Bear’” he says sneering.

“Give me my phone back,” I say seriously. I walk up to him and I can smell the alcohol on him.

“Poor little Quinn, always playing the victim. When in reality you’re just a dirty little slut.” He grabs my shirt and starts unbuttoning it. I grab my phone from his hand and push him away.

“That’s it Bobby I’m done. For real this time,” I say sternly. He grabs my wrists and pins me against the wall.

“We’re only over, when I say we’re over,” he says cruelly. I knee him in the groin and try to make a run for it but he grabs my ankle and pulls me to the ground. My face smashes against the corner of the coffee table and everything goes black.


	5. How to pull off a nose cast

I wake up and my head is killing me. I notice I’m in a car and I look and see that Geno is driving.

“Geno?” I say weakly.

“Almost at hospital,” he tells me. He holds my hand and I start to remember what happened.

“Where’s Bobby?”

“Who?”

“My boyfriend. He was with me.”

“You alone when I find you.” No fucking way. Bobby trips me then leaves. Unbelievable.  
We get to the hospital and I ask them to page Dr. Chase and Dr. Dixon. Matt and Elias eventually find me and they look stunned.

“Quinn what happened?” Matt asks.

“I got in a fight with Bobby and he tripped me. I hit my face on the coffee table on the way down,” I explain. They’re all speechless and I wait for someone to say something. Geno mutters something in Russian and I grab more tissues to stop the bleeding.

“Let me look at your nose,” Elias says. He examines it and shakes his head.

“It’s definitely broken. But lucky for you, your best friend is a plastic surgeon and if it doesn’t set properly I’ll remodel you a brand new nose,” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

“So where’s Bobby?” Matt asks angrily.

“Geno said when he found me I was alone which means he left after I was unconscious.”

“What a fucking scumbag,” Elias says angrily.

“Please tell me you’re done with him forever,” Matt says while shining a light into my eyes.

“I am,” I reply squinting. Elias sets my nose and I curse loudly.

“The worst of it is over but it looks like you have a grade 1 concussion so I suggest taking a few days off work,” Matt tells me. Elias puts a nose cast on me and discharges me. Geno drives me home and I’m seething. How could I have let myself get involved with such an asshole? I knew he could be cruel but I never thought he would physically hurt me. Audrina was going to flip when she found out. Geno pulls up to the apartment and I sit there awkwardly.

“Thanks for taking care of me. I didn’t mean for you to get involved in all this shit,” I say quietly.

“Fuck him. Doesn’t deserve beautiful girl,” he says holding my hand. I smile weakly and then head upstairs. When I open the door I see Audrina on the floor with cleaning supplies.

“What the fuck happened?!” she yells. I take a deep breath and relay tonight’s events to her.

“I’m going to fucking kill him I swear to god,” she says fuming.

“Don’t even bother. He’s out of my life for good. This is what you wanted.”

“It had to take him breaking your fucking nose to finally realize it?”

“Audrina can we please not do this right now,” I say while my voice cracks. Tears spill over and I start crying.

“Quinny I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get mad at you. I’m just so pissed at that piece of shit. I was so scared. I come home and there’s blood everywhere and you weren’t picking up your phone.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot it at home,” I say sniffling.

“Well I’m happy Geno was here. Quinn when I picture you with someone I picture you with someone like Geno. Someone who clearly adores you and treats you the way you should be treated.”

“We’re just friends,” I tell her. She shakes her head and continues cleaning the floor.

I’m home alone the next day when I hear someone knock on the door. I open the door and Geno is standing there holding his hand.

“You have ice?” he asks smiling. I invite him in and grab an icepack from the freezer.

“Geno what happened?” I ask. His knuckles on his right hand were purple and swollen.

“I had talk with boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend. And by talk you mean?”

“Now him know what feels like,” he says shrugging. I examine Geno’s hand and stretch it out. I see him wince and I call Matt and tell him to meet us in the E.R.

“Well you’re lucky, it’s not broken,” Matt tells Geno. Relief washes over me and I shake my head. I don’t know what I would have done if one of Pittsburgh’s star hockey players broke his hand punching my ex. We get back in his car and head towards my apartment.

“You could have gotten hurt,” I tell him, breaking the silence.

“I not scared,” he chuckles.

“How did you even know where to find him?”

“I ask Lazy who ask Audrina,” he says simply. Of course Audrina was in on it.

“What if you had broken your hand? You wouldn’t have been able to play hockey for weeks.”

“Quinn it fine. I’m okay,” he reassures me. He reaches for my hand and I feel weird.

“Look Geno I’m really happy we’re hanging out and all but I just got out of relationship and I’m not quite ready to jump into a new one,” I say awkwardly.

“It fine. I wait,” he says smiling.

“You’re going to wait?” I ask surprised.

“Da.”

“Are we ever going to talk about our one night stand?”

“Was fun.”

“That’s it?”

“Was great. Why? Not good for you?” he asks worriedly.

“No it was,” I say blushing. We get to the apartment and I remind him to ice his hand and he drives away. I go into my room and pull out my old albums. I look at the ones from high school and I smile at a picture of me flipping off the camera. I had always been the rebellious type. I used to party a lot and got into trouble constantly. In the next picture I’m standing up on my motorcycle. For all the trouble I cause I was still every parent’s dream kid. I got straight A’s in school and became a doctor. I may have fucked up a few times as a teenager but I grew up and I got to save lives.

“What’re you doing?” Audrina asks while flopping herself down on my bed.

“Looking at high school pictures. You were hot,” I tell her.

“Wasn’t I? You were so angsty,” she laughs. I flip to the next page where’s there a picture of me and Audrina. She was wearing a cheerleading uniform and I was wearing skinny jeans and a band tee as per usual. She was smiling nicely and I was sticking my tongue out.

“Man we’re like ying and yang,” she says smiling.

“How did we become friends again?”  
It was adopt a loner day in kindergarten.” We burst out laughing and I put the album away.

“So how are things with James? I ask.

“Good. We’re just hooking up right now but it’s really fun,” she replies.

“You okay with that?”

“Definitely. And who knows, maybe in the future things will change.” Before Bobby I was queen of having sex with no strings attached. Bobby changed me in a lot of ways but I now that I think about it, but it was usually for the worst. I push him out of my mind and me and Audrina watch a movie


	6. Blindsided

I rarely found myself bored at work but today was the exception. It seemed that Pittsburgh was managing to keep their bones and muscles in tact. I saw that Elias was scrubbing in on a partial face reconstruction so I headed up to the gallery to watch.

“You made it, want some popcorn?” Matt asks. I shake my head and look down. Elias looked focused and I was proud of my friend the plastic surgeon.

“How long have they been at this?” I ask.

“Like five hours. Still gotta ways to go. By the way you’re really rocking the nose cast.”

“Shut up,” I say shoving him. In reality I had two giant black eyes and a large white nose cast on my face and it wasn’t flattering.

“So I’m going out with this peds nurse tonight, where should I take her?”

“You’ve resorted to stalking your prey in peds? That pretty low dude,” I say smiling.

“I was there for a consult,” he says in a matter of fact tone.

“Don’t the nurses talk? How do they not know that you’re dating all of them?”

“I don’t know but I’m screwed once they do start talking.” My phone buzzes and I see that I have a text from Geno.

Geno:  
Halloween plans?

Me:  
Nope. Why?

Geno:  
Team party. You and Audrina come?

Me:  
Sounds fun

“Guess who’s going to the Penguins Halloween party?”

“Not fair. You should be proud of me though, I didn’t fan girl when you brought Geno in.”

“I’m so proud,” I say while rolling my eyes.

“So are you and Geno together now?” he asks.

“No we’re friends.”

“You’re going to do that? You know you’re going to end up together in the end, why wait?”

“It doesn’t work like that.” I snap.

“Okay, okay.” Tired of our conversation I focus my attention to the surgery in front of me.

I was at Beau’s house watching some important football game with the rest of the guys. I was having a hard time lately and I didn’t know why. The toxic element of my life was gone so why didn’t I feel better? I excuse myself to the washroom and stare at my reflection in the mirror. Memories of that night come flooding back and I grip the counter. I still remember his green eyes, the cruel smile on his lips, the smell of whiskey on his breath and the death grip he had on my wrists. Tears have escaped and I wipe the away hastily. I leave the bathroom and head to the front door to make a clean getaway. Just as I’m about to get into my car, I hear Geno call my name.

“You leave?” he asks.

“I’m not feeling well,” I tell him.

“You crying?” he asks concerned.

“I gotta go.”

“I help. I make it better.”

“No Geno you can’t. Stop wasting your time on me and find some other lost cause to fix,” I say harshly. He looks taken aback but I get in my car anyway and drive off without looking back.

I had spent the next few weeks hating myself for being so cruel to Geno. In the long run it was what’s best for him but it still didn’t make me feel any better.

“You better hurry up and get dressed!” Audrina calls from her room. James had invited her and I to the Penguins Halloween party. Selfishly I agreed to go so that I could see Geno. I get my costume on and do my hair and walk to Audrina’s room.

“I was going to call you a nerd for choosing a Matrix character but you’re brilliant. You look so hot!” Audrina exclaims. I was wearing a black latex body suit and my hair was gelled behind my ears.

“It would have been better if I had a Neo but whatever. Independent woman over here,” I say evenly and help Audrina get in her gypsy costume. We drive to the venue and I put my sunglasses on over my nose cast. We walk in and everyone turns to stare at me and I suddenly feel awkward so I walk to the bar where Sidney and James are waiting.

“Let me guess. Trinity from the Matrix?” Sidney asks smiling.

“Bingo. And you’re Rocky?” I ask. He nods his head and I smile.

“And James you are a Nascar driver?” I say observing his costume.

“Two out of two not bad. Audrina what are you?” James asks.

“A gypsy obviously,” she laughs. Audrina and James get lost in their own little world leaving me and Sidney feeling awkward. We make idle small talk and four people dressed up as KISS come walking up to us.

“Quinn you made it!” Beau says hugging me.

“I did. A+ costumes boys,” I say smiling. I look around for Geno but I can’t find him anywhere. Sidney takes me around introducing me to everyone and I’m happy I have him to hang out with. I start to feel warm so I go out the back door for some air. The door opens and Audrina appears with a worried look on her face.

“Hey buddy you okay?” she asks.

“Yeah just needed some air. Have you seen Geno?” I ask.

“Not yet. Are you nervous about seeing him?”

“I don’t know. I feel all over the place but I know that I want to see him. I’m not sure he’ll even talk to me though.”

“Well you’ll never know unless try.” We walk inside and I see Sidney and Beau talking to someone. I walk up and see Geno dressed as a vampire with his arm around a blonde woman.

“Quinn this Geno’s girlfriend Oksana,” Sidney says awkwardly.


	7. Intro to how to stabilize a pelvic fracture

It takes a few moments for those words to register and everyone is staring at me expectantly.

“Hi I’m Quinn,” I manage to get out. I shake her hand and look at Geno. He’s looking at me but I can’t read his expression. Everyone continues talking and I tell Audrina I want to go home.

“Well he moves on quickly,” Audrina says once we get through the door. I find myself feeling angry even though I have no right to be.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I ask her.

“Well you need to figure out what you’re feeling because right now you’re all over the place.”

“I know. Part of me wants to be with him but the other part knows he’s way to good for me.”

“That’s bullshit Quinn and you know it. He’d be lucky if he got you. I know you were with Bobby for so long because in that fucked up mind of yours you thought that’s what you deserve. You are single-handedly the best person I have ever met and you deserve someone that will give you the world and I really thought that someone was Geno,” she says seriously.

“So what do I do now?” I ask hopelessly.

“That’s up to you. Is he just another guy or is he worth fighting for?” She walks into her room leaving me on the couch alone with my thoughts.

“So you’re going to make him choose between you and hot blonde Russian? Well that seems unfair how do you choose?” Elias asks dramatically the next day.

“You could always break them up,” Matt suggests.

“I don’t even know why I tell you guys these things,” I say shaking my head.

“Well clearly this Oksana chick is just a distraction from you,” Elias says with his mouth full.

“Well they were serious before and he brought her here all the way from Russia so I don’t think it’s just a fling,” I tell them.

“You’re the one who put yourself in this situation. If you would have just admitted your feelings in the first place you-“ Matt begins to say.

“Yeah yeah yeah I get it,” I say irritably. I finish my lunch and head towards the cast lab where I take out my anger on old pieces of plaster.

The guys had all texted me to hang out but I didn’t have it in me to be around Geno and Oksana. I distracted myself with work and was able to push Geno to the back of mind. I was asleep in an on-call room when my pager goes off. I go to the emergency room where I hear someone screaming and Dr. Cohen comes up to me and hands me the patient file.

“22 year old male climbing a tree. Fell and broke his femur, tibia, his arm and he has a high-energy pelvic fracture. He’s lost a lot of blood and we’ve already done one transfusion.” Dr. Cohen informs me. I hold up the x-ray and examine the fractures.

“Both legs are clean breaks. The break missed the femoral artery and he has a lateral compression fracture. Is he stable enough for surgery?” I ask.

“The transfusion seems to be helping for now,” he replies. I go up to the patient and he stops yelling.

“Hey buddy I’m Dr. Eriksson. Looks like you took quite a spill tonight so we’re going to operate right away because you sustained some serious injuries. We’re first going to be stabilizing your pelvis. Your pelvis got pushed inward in the fall so we are going to use external fixation to stabilize it. Metal screws will be inserted into the bone and the screws project out of the skin on both sides of the pelvis where they are attached to cotton fiber bars outside the skin. The external fixation acts as a stabilizing frame to hold the broken bones in proper position. For your broken femur we will be doing intramedullary nailing. A specially designed metal rod is inserted into the marrow canal of the femur. The rod passes the fracture to keep it in position. Your arm is a stable fracture so you won’t be needing surgery just a cast. Your surgery will take a few hours but the sooner we stop the bleeding the better. Did you have any questions?” He shakes his head and signs the consent form. I turn around to get scrubbed in when I bump into Dr. Reid who is the attending orthopaedic surgeon.

“Dr. Reid you’re here. I would be happy to assist you in this surgery,” I say awkwardly.

“Oh Dr. Eriksson I’m just here to watch. This surgery is all yours,” he says smiling. I nod and head to the O.R. to get scrubbed in.  
After over six hours and many screws and rods later I was finally done. I was able to repair the shredded artery, set his arm and both fractures were stable. I finish suturing him up and leave the operating room. I’m at the nurse’s station when Matt comes up to me smiling.

“Look at you, that was quite the surgery,” he says impressed.

“Yeah I kinda rock,” I smile.

“You down to get drink after shift?”

“Sure why not.”

“Great I’ll see you at Jack’s.” He winks at the nurse sitting by us and walks away. I decide to quickly check on my patient before I leave for the night. I walk in the room and he’s just waking up. I check his vitals and he looks surprised to see me.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” I ask.

“Like I fell out of a tree,” he says smiling weakly.

“Let me guess Jack Daniels?”

“Is it that obvious?” he laughs. He winces immediately and I feel bad for the guy.

“I figure a 22 year old in a tree on Friday night screams some kind of hard liquor.”  
We make small talk for a few minutes before I leave. I get changed and head to Jack’s down the street to meet Elias and Matt.

“There she is, we got you your favourite,” Matt says from his spot at the bar. I take a long sip of my beer and feel the cold liquid go down my throat.

“I’m surprised you don’t have a date tonight,” I tell Matt.

“I did but she cancelled.”

“Well looks like you’re stuck with us,” I say smiling. I feel antsy so I start cracking peanuts.

“Any updates on the hockey player?” Elias asks.

“No. I’ve decided to just give up,” I reply.

“But I was team Quinn. We were supposed to go all the way,” Matt says frowning.

“Well I hate to disappoint you but life doesn’t always go the way you want,” I say before sipping my beer. Elias starts talking about a breast reduction he did so I finish my beer and tell them good-bye. I walk the short distance to my apartment and walk up the stairs. When I get to my door I notice the door is ajar. I start to panic because Audrina was in Denver and I know I locked the door when I left. I reach for phone and dial the first number I think of.


	8. And the truth comes out

I’m pacing when his car pulls up. He climbs the stairs and looks down at me.

“You okay?” Geno asks. I nod and gesture to the door.

“It was like this when I got here. I haven’t gone in yet,” I reply. Slowly he walks through the door quietly with me on his heels. I look around and the entire apartment is trashed. Broken plates scatter the floor and I stand there shocked. Geno checks around the rest of the apartment and tells me that there’s no one here.

“Break-in?” he asks me.

“This was Bobby,” I say dejectedly from my spot in the middle of the room. I walk into my room and all my pictures of Bobby and I are shredded on the floor.

“Why he do this?”

“Because he’s pissed at me.” I couldn’t believe he broke in my apartment and trashed the place. I feel the anger boil inside me and I start cleaning.

“I stay?” I wanted to get mad at him and tell him to run off to his Russian bride but truthfully after the incident tonight I wanted him around.

“If you want to,” I reply shrugging. He grabs a broom and starts sweeping up the glass. I pick up the torn up pictures and pieces and arrange them back in their place. The first photo was a picture of us on his motorcycle. The second picture was of us in New York. The couple in these photos look so normal, so happy. I throw the pictures in the wastebasket and shake the nostalgic thoughts from my head. Bobby was a psychotic control freak and I had to remind myself that I was better off without him. I remind myself to change the locks tomorrow and to throw away all of his things. I sit down on the couch and put my head in between my knees. I feel the couch shift under me and his hand starts rubbing my back. I’m about to say something when his phone goes off. He answers and the conversation is in Russian. After a brief while he hangs up and clears his throat.

“I go now. You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming.” He hugs me and I don’t want him to let go. We stand for a while until he finally pulls away and leaves. The apartment feels creepy without Audrina here so I grab my stuff and head back to the hospital.

“Okay but why do I have to go?” I ask Audrina. She was dragging me to another Penguins game and I wasn’t ecstatic about it.

“It’s your night off what else would you do?” she replies.

“I don’t know, go to the bar.”

“You need to drink less plus this is way more fun.” I thought I’d be happy about seeing Geno but in reality I found it quite painful. Wearing black skinny jeans and a black leather jacket, we head to the arena and find out seats. The game had already started and I spot Geno quickly. I wasn’t the biggest hockey fan but even I was entranced by the way Geno played hockey. He played with so much skill and finesse, I understood by he was one of the best. He gets the puck on a breakaway and splits the defense. He goes forehand, backhand then shoots the puck passed the goalie. The arena erupted with cheers but I sat and clapped politely. The Penguins ended up beating the Hurricane’s 4-2. Audrina dragged me towards the dressing room where we wait for James. He comes out with his hair still wet and wraps his arms around Audrina. Feelings of envy wash over me and I lean against the wall and try to think about something else. Geno comes out of the dressing room and his face lights up when he sees me.

“Nice goal,” I tell him smiling.

“Thanks,” he replies.

“Quinn are you coming out after?” James asks me.

“I don’t know if I should.”

“Of course she is,” Audrina interjects. I roll my eyes and we head to the bar.  
The music is loud and I would much rather be in bed. We find everyone at a table and of course Oksana is there. I take a deep breath and force a smile on my face.

“Hey Quinn it’s been awhile,” Sidney says smiling. I smile back and take a sip of my beer. Geno’s arm is around her but you can tell she’s loving all the attention the guys are giving her. She was blonde and beautiful and she entranced the entire room. I was jealous because I would never be that kind of girl. They start making out so I get up and go outside. I light a cigarette and take a long drag. I wasn’t a smoker but I had found this pack in Bobby’s stuff. As a doctor I knew how bad they were for you but I felt so shitty about myself already I figure a cigarette wouldn’t hurt. The door opens and Sidney comes out looking concerned.

“You smoke?” he asks surprised.

“I do tonight,” I say evenly.

“Must be hard seeing that.”

“Seeing what?”

“Geno and Oksana. I know you like him.”

“Yeah well I messed that one up so I can’t really play the victim.”

“I think if it’s supposed to happen it will,” he says simply. I start to feel sick so I put the cigarette out. We head back inside and Oksana was now sitting in Geno’s lap. She had her head back and was laughing at something at Kris Letang had said. I grab the keys from Audrina and tell her I’ll see her at home. I don’t know if it was the nicotine or seeing them together but my stomach couldn’t handle anymore. I feel tears stream down my cheeks and I’m angry that I’m crying over this. I’m walking down the street when I hear him call my name. I turn around and he’s standing right behind me.

“Why crying?” he asks concerned. He lifts his hand to my face and gently wipes away a tear.

“Because I thought I could do this but I can’t,” I say sadly.

“Do what?”

“I can’t see you with her. Look Geno I know I pushed you away but it was just because I was scared.” He looks shocked and I know he’s trying to figure out what to say.

“I’m with Oksana,” he says, his voice strained.

“I know. And I hope you guys are happy, I really do.” I kiss his cheek and get in my car. I start the vehicle and pull away and I can still see him standing in my rear view mirror.

“You told him how you feel that’s huge,” Matt says in surgery the next day. The patient had a sternal fracture and a hemothorax so Matt and I got to team up for the surgery.

“Yeah but he told me he’s with Oksana, like nothing I said was going to make a difference,” I reply.

“He’s just in shock. You told him your feelings and now he’s caught between two women he cares about.”

“These last few weeks have been hell. I hate having emotions.”

“Yeah I tend to avoid them altogether,” he says smiling. We close up and I tell him about the cool surgeries Dr. Reid will be doing that’ll I get to scrub in on.

“You’re like his prodigy,” Matt laughs.

“He’s one of the best in the country. It’s not my fault you hate your attending,” I say while shoving him.

“He goes through these weird phases where he wants me to do everything and then he turns around and wants to do every surgery and I have to watch,” he says annoyed. I shrug and start reading through patient files.  
I get home late one night after work that week and I find James in my kitchen in his boxers.

“Well hello to you to,” I say smiling.

“Sorry I didn’t think you’d be home,” he says guiltily. I walk past him and pour a bowl of cereal. “So why don’t you come out with us anymore?”

“I came out last week,” I say defensively.

“But that was the first time in weeks. It’s Oksana isn’t it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lie.

“You were subtle about it but I picked it up. You totally didn’t like her.”

“So? Do I have to like everybody?”

“No but you don’t have to worry, they broke up,” he says casually. I drop my spoon into my cereal and stare at him wide-eyed.

“When?” I ask.

“A couple days ago. Why?” I ignore his question and go to my room. He broke up with her but he hasn’t tried to contact me in anyway. Maybe he doesn’t want me or Oksana. I toss and turn in my bed until I finally give up. I grab my keys and head in the early hours of the morning and drive to his house.


	9. Deported

I knock on the door loudly until it opens. Geno stands there wearing pyjama pants and wiping sleep from his eyes.

“Quinn? What wrong?” he asks concerned.

“Nothing. Can I come in?” he opens the door wide and I walk in awkwardly. I look at the giant staircase and it reminds me of the morning I snuck out. I look at him and he’s watching me closely. I could feel the adrenaline running through my veins and my stomach was in knots. Our unsaid words raced around in our minds looking for an exit.

“James told me about you and Oksana,” I finally say.

“She went back to Russia,” he responds.

“Why?”

“My heart not with her.” My heart started racing at the endless possibilities of things he could potentially say.

“Where is it?” I say, my voice almost a whisper.

“With you.” Just like that walk up to him and press my lips against his. He pulls me close to his body and I wrap my arms around his neck. His tongue enters my mouth and our tongues entangle. The kiss intensifies and I have to will myself to pull away. With his lips red, he looks down at me confused.

“I want to do this right so we have to take things slow okay?” I say hesitantly.

“Okay,” he smiles. We go upstairs and I take off my coat and crawl into his bed. Memories of our first night together come flooding back and I smile.

“What?” he asks while climbing into the bed.

“Do you remember when we slept together?” I ask.

“Of course. You drunk, not me. Was good night,” he smiles. I lie there facing him and it all feels so surreal.

“It was a good night. Who would have thought this is how it would play out?”

“I know.”

“How?”

“I slept with most beautiful girl and I know we had to be together.” I smile and he cups my cheek. I wrap myself around him and close my eyes.  
“спокойной ночи красивый” (Goodnight beautiful)

I wake up and find Geno packing.

“Are you going somewhere?” I ask sleepily.

“Morning. I have road trip,” he replies. I forgot that they travel for games. I get up and quickly use the bathroom. I check my appearance and my hair is messy but I can’t stop smiling. I open the door and Geno is zipping up his suitcase.

“How long are you gone for?” I ask.

“Two weeks,” he replies. He wraps his arms around me and I frown.

“That’s a long time.”

“I take you on real date when I’m back,” he says smiling.

“So getting me drunk at the bar wasn’t a real date?” He shakes his head and smiles. “Okay well I should leave. Have fun on your road trip.” He leans down and kisses me softly. My body responds and I feel the electricity coursing through my body. He pulls away and I’m left there smiling like an idiot. I say goodbye and head home.

“Where were you at last night?” Audrina asks suspiciously.

“At Geno’s,” I say casually.

“Did you tell him how you feel?”

“I did. I guess we’re sort of together now.” It sounded weird hearing it out loud.

“Oh my god this is amazing! Scale of 1-10?”

“I didn’t sleep with him,” I tell her.

“But you’re like the queen of sleeping with people?” she says confused.

“I know but I want this to be different. I really like him.” Her smile grows wider and I get up and I get ready for work.

“So what’s new in Quinn’s life?” Matt asks while spinning in an office chair.

“Not much, you?” I answer, not taking my eyes off the patient chart I’m writing in.

“Oh just the usual. Scrubbing in on a heart valve replacement while the patient’s awake later,” he says casually.

“Seriously?” I ask, snapping my head up. He nods and smiles widely. Elias walks up and pulls up a chair at the nurse’s station.

“Did you tell her about the awake surgery?” Elias asks Matt.

“He did. It’s pretty cool,” I interject.

“I’ll save you a seat,” Elias says smiling. I return to my charting but they’re both start staring at me.

“Something’s different about you,” Elias notices.

“Yeah you’re awfully smiley,” Matt adds.

“You totally got laid,” Elias says loudly.

“Not quite,” I say shaking my head.

“What does that mean?” Matt asks.

“It means I told Geno how I feel and we’re sort of together,” I say simply. There it was again. Sort of together. I didn’t know how else to describe it. We hadn’t talked about what we were, I mean we haven’t even had our first date yet. I remind myself not to dwell on the complications and just be happy we’re together.

“He picked you?!” Matt says excitedly. I nod and Elias starts clapping.

“Our little Quinn is dating a Penguin. Who would have thought,” Elias says smiling. I shake my head and return my charting.

I’m watching Matt’s surgery with Elias when my phone goes off.

Geno:  
Just landed in L.A. What up

Me:  
Just watching a guy get heart surgery while he’s awake

Geno:  
Scary

Me:  
I get off early today so I’ll be able to watch your game

Geno:  
I score just for you)))

Me:  
You better

I put my phone away and look at the guy on the table. He looked nervous which was totally valid. He had headphones in but would occasionally look up at the gallery where dozens of doctors were watching him. I look at my watch and realize I need to prep for the hip replacement surgery I had that afternoon.

I get home exhausted and Audrina has Chinese food waiting for me on the coffee table.

“You’re the best, you know that?” I tell her. She smiles and turns the TV up. The game had just started and the Penguins were playing the Los Angeles Kings.

“So you realize we’re going to have to double date,” she says excitedly.

“Are you guys even dating?” I ask her.

“Yes and no.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means yes we go on dates but no we’re not labeling it,” she explains. That seemed like a convenient situation for James and I figured that this arrangement was his idea.

“Are you okay with that?” I ask her.

“Yeah. I mean we went from just hooking up to actually going on dates so that’s progress right?”

“I guess.” The horn goes off and the Kings score. I decide to not push Audrina on the subject and turn my focus to the game. Sidney scores in the second tying the game at 1. I found myself actually liking hockey and it was really fun to have someone you know on the team to cheer on. Geno wins the faceoff at the start of the third and passes it to Paul Martin. Paul passes it back and Geno skates around the net and gets the wrap around goal. I start clapping excitedly and watch him celebrate with his teammates. Deep down I knew that goal was for me but I was going to keep that our secret. The Penguins win in 2-1 and I get ready for bed. I’m about to fall asleep when my phone starts buzzing.

“Hello?” I answer sleepily.

“Did you see goal?” he asks and I can tell he’s smiling.

“I did. You came through.”

“Of course. I not talk long, just want to hear voice. I text soon.

“Okay. Goodnight Geno."

“Goodnight Quinn.” I hang up and fall into a blissful sleep.


End file.
